Field
Embodiments described generally relate to processes and systems for recovering products derived from ground corn. More particularly, such embodiments relate to processes and systems for recovering products from a corn fermentation mash.
Description of the Related Art
Corn or maize is often used as a starch source to produce ethanol by fermentation. Corn is traditionally ground by a hammer mill in ethanol production facilities. Hammer milled corn has a very wide range of sizes and generally includes relatively large particle sizes.
The fermentation process produces a corn fermentation mash that includes a mixture of ethanol and multiple corn products. Ethanol is removed from the corn fermentation mash by distillation to produce a whole stillage that contains a mixture of corn products. Many of these corn products are too time consuming and/or costly to separate from the stillage and therefore are never recovered as separate products.
There is a need, therefore, for improved processes and systems for recovering products from a corn fermentation mash.